To Hunt, To Run, To Live
by Just Cy
Summary: The year is 1735, Capitan Keiichiro Akasaka has assembeled a small group of rebels against the Undead and is camping out in the Norwegian Wilderness, he and his troops need to join up with the rest of the resistance in the only city that has yet to fall.


**Ok, I'm gonna keep this short but I would like to say that the inspiration for this contest entry has come from playing lots of Warcraft III, on and I don't own TMM.**

**Since I messed with ages and knowing jobs would be helpful:**

**Archer/Hunter - Zakuro – 21 Grunt/Hunter - Ryou – 13 Gatherer- Ichigo – 13 **

**Gatherer - Mint – 10 No Tasks - Pudding – 5 Healer/Caretaker - Lettuce – 21**

**Capitan - Keiichiro – 28 Lich - Pai – 25 Death Knight - Kish – 15 **

**Dreadlord - Tart - 7**

"_Immortality – a fate worse than death."_

_~Edgar A. Shoaff_

It was a strange night, there seemed to be a chill in the air. I pulled my dark hood closer, the cold seeping through my cloak as I made my way through the trees to our encampment in the Norwegian wilderness. I froze as I heard something moving about on the ground, my trained ears identified it as an adder, I pulled back my bow and tried to locate it, and I heard a hiss from behind, turned and fired. There was more hissing but it died down quickly and I continued to move. Even in my soft boots I was making too much noise, the snow crunching beneath my feet. I looked overhead to try to get a look at the moon but my vision was completely blocked by trees. Damn the antiquity of the woods!

I saw a flash of blonde above eye level, "Ryou, what are you doing out here?" I growled at him in a hushed voice.

"Who's there?" he asked in a regular voice, and I heard him draw his sword.

"Zakuro, you dim-wit, put away your sword," I snapped and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards camp.

"I was just looking for you, did you see any of them?" he asked in an anxious voice.

"No," I told him, and I could see the disappointment on his face, "And I'm thankful for that, had I run into a party of the Undead greater than five I would've had to fall back," I shook my head in disgust and put more wood on the small fire. 

His eyes glowed with excitement, the flames dancing in his young eyes, "You can fight five at once?" I set my bow in my tent, sliding the quiver off my back and putting beside my bow.

"Only if I have to, I pray that I never do," I sighed, "I remember when it was better, you don't know any different from this, but you need to know that this is real, and dangerous. You haven't had enough experience to know what the Undead can do, to know how to use that sword to the fullest advantage, so count your lucky stars and pray it stays that way. Don't be reckless, if someone doesn't come back you let them stay gone, it happens, sometimes people don't come back," I heard three short howls and replied with four hoots of an owl, if that was the Capitan he needed a response and he needed it fast. There was a rustle of leaves and the long haired Capitan returned, armor creaking an all. I rushed over and saluted him, "Capitan Akasaka, I found no Undead within 5 miles from any direction of our camp."

"Wonderful, Zakuro," he said and wrapped his arms around me, "build up the fire, and get some rest."

"Thank you, sir," I said and put a few more logs on the fire before retiring to the tent I shared with my younger sister Mint. She was asleep on her blanket covered with a cloak, head on her arms, and my blanket was already set up. It unbuckled my cloak and took off my boots before lying down and repositioned my bow so it was nearby if needed.

~Keiichiro's POV~

I took off my helmet, and shook my hair, looking at the tent flap of Zakuro, she was so used to the ways of the war, it was a shame she was so distant, and formal. I remember when she was a young girl in Holmestrand, but that was a long time ago. I hadn't seen the harbor since I was fifteen, she would've been eight then. Our parents had been part of the first resistance, but all of us here were on our own now. We needed to join up with the rest of the resistance, but they were gathered at London, how are a bunch of Norwegian humans going to make it nearly 1000 miles to the Elve Capital, involving a journey by sea?

Ryou looked at me, "Did something happen to Ms. Zakuro?" he asked.

"That's not for me to tell you, but you'd to do well to listen to her, lad," I told him and ruffled his hair, "It's late, you should get tobed if you're taking first watch tomorrow," I told him.

"Good night, Cap'n Kei," he said and went into our bunk.

"Good night, Ryou," I said and Lettuce came out from her tent, the green haired medic sat down next me beside the fire. She was half Elve, and she was useful to have around, as well as kind-hearted and gentle, this life didn't fit her, and she'd be better off when she made it to London.

"I'm glad you've returned," she said.

"I am too, all went well, the area is secure, and Zakuro and I will be heading to Trondheim tomorrow to get more supplies."

"A dangerous journey, when do you plan to be back?" she asked.

"It'll take at least a week, will you be able to hold down the fort?"

"If the area is clear the children and I should be fine, and we can handle a small platoon," she told me, but her bouncing pupils said she wasn't too sure.

"I can make the journey alone if you need Zakuro here," I told her, and if I didn't meet any trouble that would be true, but the chance of that was slim.

"No, it's fine, but if you're going to be making a long journey I'll prepare supplies for you and you should get some rest."

"We'll be fine without supplies, we don't have many, you need them more, and Zakuro and I both are capable of living off the land," I told her and she smiled and muttered a thanks before rising to head back to her tent. I grabbed her hand, "Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes, the only trouble is the idea of the immortality of the Undead. No matter how many times we kill them they just come back stronger, and there numbers are strengthened every time one of our warrior's falls."

"That scares me too," I confessed, "but all we can do is keep fighting," I told her.

"But is it worth it, whether we die today or die tomorrow we join them some day, and wouldn't it be better today to be immortal tomorrow?" she asked.

"You can't think like that, ever, we have light on our side, and we have hope, don't you forget it!" I said and she nodded, looking back a moment before going into her tent. I shook my head and put out the fire before I went into my tent to get to bed.

~Pai's POV~

I stood at the top of the hill, looking over the terrain, there had been reports of humans in the area and my elite team had been chosen to wipe them out. I didn't understand the need for us to be called in, they were just a few humans, nothing special about them, it was honestly insulting. I pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked for signs of them, first scanning the sky for smoke. I smirked, they wouldn't last long. I waved my hand and the binoculars disappeared, I heard an approaching horse and rolled my eyes, "What do you want Kish?" I asked, turning to face him and his skeletal mount.

"How far away if the meat?" he asked with a lick of his lips.

"You're acting like a Ghoul, not an Elite Death Knight of the Lich King," I told him.

"Well, I'm hungry, we haven't had a meal in the last month, just a bunch of potions from the Goblin Merchants, I want food in my system!"

"You don't need it, you have nothing you must do to live, except dodge arrows," I said with a shake of my head, and adjusted my robe.

"Well dodging arrows take work, and food tastes good," he said and pulled on the reins of his horse to stop it from munching on the grass. I shook my head at his stupidity, if the young Dreadlord would arrive we could stamp them out now and get back to the comfort of the Underworld. Ner'zhul's palace was splendid with an excellent laboratory. I heard a transport spell take place and smiled. Kish shuddered, it was probably the maggots, they were giving me a horrible tooth ache, but that was the penalty for being among the living.

**Ok, so this will continue, but I needed to get this up with the next two hours so…yup, review please : )**

** l**

** l**

** l**

** v**


End file.
